Railway braking apparatus



Jan. 4, 1938. H. c. cLAUsr-:N 2,104,185

` RAILWAY BRAKING APPARATUS Fileld June 16, 1936 7 Shee'ts-Sheet l vJan. 4, 1938. H. c. cLAusEN 4 RAILWAY BRAKING APPARATS 7 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed June 16, 1936 n lll ll r IL- INVENTOR l HaPOZd ausen.

HIS ATTORNEY Jan.' 4, 1938. H. c. cLAUSl-:N

RAILWAY BRAKING APARATUS Filed June 16, 193e" 7 sheets-sheet s v ilNvENToR Harold Zausen.

HIS ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1938,4 v H. CLAUSEN 2,104,185

- v RAILWAY BRAKING APPARATUSk Filed June 16, 1956 '7 sheets-sheet 4.

\ I v 'r' INVENTOR o l Harold 'y BY HIS ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1938,. H. c.CLAUSEN 2,104,185

RAILWAY BRAKING APPARATUS y Filed June 1e, 193e 7 sheets-sheet 5xNvEN'roR Harold Clausen.

H15 ATTORNEY '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 auen INVY TOR I I 1I HIS ATTORNEY HaraldBY H. C. CLAUSEN Filed June 16, `1936 RAILWAY BRAKING APPARATUS Jan. 4,1938.

Jan. 4, 1938. H, C, CLAUSEN 2,104,185

RAILWAY BRAKING APPARATUS Fly. lo.v

` INVENTOR Harold C/ auen BY y i HIS ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 4, 1938UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application Jun-e 16, 193s,seria1N0.-s'5,506

24 Claims.

My invention relates to 'railway braking apparatus, and 'particularly tothat class of railway braking apparatus known as Aca'r retarders.

More particularly, my present invention relates to car retarders oik thetype in which the brakin'g bars exert 'a fixed amount oi retardation onall cars passing through the retarder.

One robject of my invention 4is to provide a car retarder of the typedescribed in which ythe couple caused by the forces which urge thebraking bars into engagement with the wheels of cars which are beingretarded, and the reaction of the wheels against the braking bars, iscounteracted by a structure which is secured to the braking bars.

Other objects of my invention will appear as the description proceeds. y

I will describe several forms of oar retarders embodying my invention,and .will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectio'nal viewshowing Y'one `form of car retarder embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is atop plan view, partly in section, of the retarder shown in Fig. v1. Fig.3 is a View, similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form ofthe retarderillustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top plan View of a portion of theretarder shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a top plan view showing another formof retarder emgig' bodying my invention. Figs. '6 and 7 are sectionalviews taken substantially on the lines VI-VI and VII-VII, respectively,of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a vertical Asectional View, similar to Fig. 1,showing still another form of car retarder embodying my invention. Fig.-9 is a top plan View of the retarder shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is avertical sectional view showing another vform of retarder embodying myinvention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar 40 parts in each of theseveral views.

Referring rst to Figs. 1 and v2, vthe reference character I designatesone track rail of a stretch of railway track, which track rail Vismounted on rail supports 2 secured to the usual crossties r3, only onerail support and one crosstie being shown in the drawings. Extendingparallel to the rail I on opposite sides of the rail are two brakingbars Al and A2, each comprising a brake shoe 4 secured to a brake beam5.V The brake shoes and brake beams may have any desired cross sectionalshape possessing the 'necessary strength and rigidity, lout as hereshown, the brake shoes are L-'shaped in 'cross section, while the brakebeamsare Heshaped in cross section. l 55y The braking bars IareAslidably supported for movement 'toward and away from the rail I, andare 'constantly biased toward "the rail to braking positions in whichthe brake shoes '4 will frictiona'lly engage the opposite `side faces of'each car wheel traversing the rail I, by means `'of a spring unitcomprising a spring bolt I 'and a compressed coil vspring l2. The springbolt 1 extends with some clearance througha hole v8 provided in .therail web,and through aligned holes 9 provided inthe depending legportions of the 'brake beams, and carries 'at its left-hand end a gaugeadjusting nut i0. This gauge adjusting nut 'I0 is made round at itsinner end, and is Yprovided 'with an annular flange Iiia vwhich isrotatably mounted within an annular recess I5a formed in a bearingmember I5 that is bolted to the brake beam 5 of the braking bar A1,whereby 'rotation of the nut IIl will cause the braking bar A1 to moveaxially along'the 'spring bolt.

. 'The compressed coil spring I2 'surrounds Vthe right-hand end of thespring bolt 'I between an inner spring seat il which vabuts against theouter face ofthe brake beam 5 of the braking bar A2, and an outer springseat I3 which abuts against a spring compression adjusting nut I4, andit Will 4be apparent, therefore, that the spring I'Z will act throughthe medium of the spring seat I3, nut I4, spring bolt "I.,v and gaugeadjustingnut l0 to exert a force on the lbraking bar A1, and "throughthe medium of the springseat II to exert an equal force on 'the brakingbar A2, which forces will tend to move the braking bars toward eachother to relative positions which depend'p'on the 'amount 'of initialcompression of the spring I2, and hence upon the adjustment of the nutI'4. The position to which the braking bar A1 is free to move due v'tothe force which is exerted on it bythe spring I2 is limited byengagement with the rail web ofa shoulder 'Ia which is formed on thespring bolt 'between the' braking bar A1 and the rail web, and the gaugeadjusting nut I0 is so adjustedthat when the shoulder v'la is engagingthe railweb, the'braking bar A1 will occupy What I shall 'term 'a normalposition in which the brake shoe 4 'of this braking bar will project apredetermined amount into 'the path of each car wheel traversing rail I.Theposition to which the braking bar A2 'is free to move due to "thefor'ce which is exerted 'on vit by the spring `I2 is limited byengagement with the rail head oi a stud bolt f6, which 'b'olt also'serves as a means for securing the brake "shoe 4 of the braking bar A1to the associated brake 'beam 5. Tne'boit i6 passes through ja clearance'hole 'provided in lthe inner arm rrof the associated 4brake beam, andis screwed through a threaded hole in the brake shoe, and carries a locknut I1 for locking the bolt in an adjusted position. The bolt I6 is soadjusted that when the inner end of this bolt is engaging the rail head,the brake shoe 4 of the braking bar A2 will project a predeterminedamount into the path of each car wheel traversing rail I.

With the retarder constructed in the manner thus far described, it willbe apparent that when a car enters the retarder, the wheels of the carwill exert a force on both braking bars which force Awill move thebraking bar A1 toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, and the braking barA2 toward the right, thus causing the spring I2 to become compressedbeyond its initial compression, and hence causing the braking bars tofrictionally engage the car wheels in a manner to retard the speed ofthe car. It will also be apparent that due to the fact that the pointsat which the braking bars engage the car Wheels are located somedistance above the spring bolt, a couple of forces will be exerted onthe braking bar Al which will tend to rotate this braking bar in acounter-clockwise direction, and a similar couple of forces will beexerted on the braking bar A2 which will tend to rotate this latterbraking bar in a clockwise direction. These couples tend to bend thespring bolt l, and are therefore undesirable, and in accordance with mypresent invention I provide suitable means for counteracting the turningforces caused by these couples. As here shown, these means comprise twosimilar U-shaped brackets 23, one of which is secured adjacent its openend to the brake beam 5 of the braking bar A1 by means of bolts 24 whichpass through the one leg of the brake beam and through upstanding lugs25, one of which is formed on each leg of the brackets; and the other ofwhich brackets is secured adjacent its open end to the brake beam 5 ofthe braking bar A2 in the same manner that the rst mentioned bracket issecured to the other brake beam. The outer portion of each bracket isslidably supported on a tie-plate 2l secured to the associated tie 3,and the inner ends of the brackets are provided with oiset portions 23awhich extend underneath the base flanges of the rail I on opposite sidesof the rail support 2.

With the bracket 23 secured to the braking bars in the manner justdescribed, it will be obvious that when the brake shoes are engaging acar wheel, the couple or turning forces produced in the braking bars bythe reaction of the Wheels against the brake shoes 4 will becounteracted by engagement of the brackets with the tie-plates 2l andwith the bottom of the rail, and as a result, any motion of the brakingbars will be limited to a straight sliding motion toward and away fromthe rail. This is very desirable, not only because it prevents thespring bolt from becoming bent, but also because it reduces lost motion,which, in turn, increases the retardation which can be obtained from theretarder and reduces the amount of wear on the parts.

The braking forces which are exerted on a car by a car retarder of thetype described will, of course, depend upon the stiffness and initialcompression oi the spring I2, and the distance which the braking barsare forced apart by the car wheels, and may be adjusted by adjusting thenormal positions of the braking bars and the initial compression of thespring I2. A decrease in retardation caused by wear of the brake shoe 4of the braking bar A1 may be compensated for by screwing the adjustingnut I in-B wardly to move this braking bar closer to the rail, and adecrease in retardation caused by wear of the brake shoe 450i thebraking bar A2 may be compensated for by screwing the bolt I6 outwardlyto permit this braking bar to move closer to the rail.

If it is desired to render the retarder inactive for any reason, thismay be done by backing off the gauge adjusting nut I0 a few turns. Thiswill cause the inside braking bar A1 to move away from the rail to aposition in which it is clear of the path of car wheels traversing railI, but will not cause the outside braking bar A2 to move. The retarder,however, is intended primarily for use as a single rail retarder, andwhen the retarder is used as a single rail retarder, the car wheel whichis being engaged by the braking bar A2 can move laterally away from thebrake shoe 4 of this braking bar, the adjustment of the braking bar A1being such that a sufficient amount of motion of the car wheel ispermitted to render the frictional contact between the outside brakingbar and the car wheel substantially negligible.

t should be particularly pointed Vout that while in the drawings thebraking bars A1 and A2 of the car retarder are shown supported by onlyone spring unit, in actual practice these braking bars will be supportedby a plurality of similar units disposed at intervals along the rail I.

As was pointed out hereinbefore, a car retarder of the type described isintended primarily as a single rail retarder. When it is desired toprovide both rails with braking bars, each spring unit will preferablybe modiiied in the manner shown in Fig. 3, whereby both braking bars maybe moved to positions in which they are out of engagement with carwheels when it is desired to render the retarder inactive. Referring toFig. 3, as here shown, the shoulder 'la of the spring bolt 'l isdisposed on the opposite side of the rail from that in which it is shownin Fig. l, and surrounding the spring bolt between this shoulder and therail web is a compressed coil spring 2B which constantly biases thespring bolt assembly as a whole toward the right, in a manner which willbe obvious from an inspection or" the drawing, to a position in whichfurther movement of the parts is prevented by engagement of the brakebeam 5 of the braking bar A2 with an adjustable stop screw I8 mounted ina bracket I9. The bracket I9 is fastened at its lower end to one side ofthe rail support 2 by means of a pair of stud bolts 2B, and this bracketextends upwardly with some clearance through an elongated slot 2| formedin the web of the associated brake beam 5, and has formed therein a hole22 which slidably receives the spring bolt 'i with some clearance. Theadjusting screw I8 carries a lock nut |82, and is so adjusted that whenthe brake beam 5 of the braking bar A2 is engaging this stop screw, thebraking bar A2 will occupy a position in which the brake shoe 4 of thisbraking bar is just clear of the path of car wheels traversing the railI. The gauge adjusting nut Il) is so adjusted that when the braking barA2 occupies its desired non-braking position and no car Wheel istraversing rail I, the braking bar A1 will occupy a position in whichthe brake shoe 4 of this latter braking bar will project some distanceinto the path of a car wheel traversing. rail I. The remainder of theapparatus shown in Fig. 3 is similar in all respects to that shown inFig. 1.

The operation of the retarder shown in Fig. 3, as a whole, is asfollows: When no car is passing through the retarder, the braking barsA1 and A2 are heldin their normal positions in which they are shown inthe drawings by the springs 26 and I2 in a manner which will be readilyapparent from the foregoing description and from an inspection of thedrawings. When, however, a car enters the retarder, the car wheels willrst engage the brake shoe 4 of the braking bar A1, and will thus causethis braking bar to move toward the left, and as this braking bar movestoward the left, a force will be transmitted to the braking bar A2through the nut Ill, spring bolt 1, nut I4, and spring I2, which forcewill cause the braking bar A2 to move toward the left along with thebraking bar A1 until the braking bar A2 has moved into engagement withthe outer face of the car wheel, whereupon the car wheel will force thetwo braking bars apart in opposition to the bias of the spring I2. Itwill be seen, therefore, that the braking bars will be held intofrictional contact with the car wheels by a force which depends upon thedistance that the braking bars arev forced apart and the adjustment ofthe initial compression of thespring I2. When the car leaves theretarder, the spring I2 will restore the braking bars to their normallyspaced positions, and the spring 26 will act to restore them to theirproper positions relative to the rail I.

One advantage of a retarder constructed in the manner shown in Fig. 3 isthat since the braking bar A2 is normally out of the path of car wheelstraversing rail I, the retarder can be rendered wholly inactive bybacking oiT the adjusting nut I to such a position that the insidebraking bar A1 is also out of the path of the car wheels. This featureis very desirable when the retarder is used as a double rail retarderfor reasons which will readily be apparent.

Another advantage of a retarder constructed in the manner shown in Fig.3 is that, since the pressure exerted by the spring I2 is all taken upby engagement of the shoulder 'Ia of the bolt 'I with the brake beam 5of the braking bar A2, this spring pressure is not affected byadjustment of the adjusting nut I0 or the stop screw I8 to compensatefor brake shoe wear. Furthermore, since the gauge adjustments do notvary the spring tension, these adjustments may be made with a minimumamount of effort.

Referring now to Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the retarder here shown is of thesingle braking bar type in which the braking bar consists of a standardrail section 3|) which performs the same functions which the brakebeam-brake shoe combination shown in the preceding views perform. Theweb of the braking bar 30 is provided adjacent its lower end with a hole3l (see Fig. 7) which aligns with an opening 8 formed in the web of therail I near the upper end thereof, and extending with some clearancethrough vthe openings 8 and 3| is a spring bolt 32, the righthand end ofwhich is provided with a head 33 which cooperates with the rail webadjacent the opening 8, and the left-hand end of which is provided withan innerspring seat 34, a coil spring I2, an outer spring seat I3, and aspring compression adjusting nut I4. The nut I4 is so adjusted that thebraking bar 30 is constantly biased toward the rail to a position inwhich the inner side face of the head of the braking bar willfricitonally engage the inner side face of each `car wheel traversingrail I, and mounted on the spring bolt between the rail and the brakingbar lis a. spacing sleeve 35, and a spacer washer 36, which-sleeve andwasher serve to position the braking bar relative to the r'ail when nocar wheel is engaging the braking bar. To prevent rotation of thebraking bar due to the couple of forces which are exerted on it when itis engaging a car wheel, the brakingA bar is secured to a U-shapedbracket 3'I which is essentially the same in construction as thebrackets 23 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and which cooperates at one end witha tie-plate 2I secured to the tie 3, and at the other end with the railI, in the same manner that each of the brackets 23 shown in Fig. 1cooperates at one end with a tie-plate and at the other end with therail I. A stiffening plate 38 is welded to the braking bar and to eacharm of the bracket 21 to assist in preventing tipping of the braking bardue to engagement of car wheels therewith.

The operation of the retarder shown in Figs. 5, 6 and Twill be readilyunderstood from an inspection of the drawings Without further detaileddescription. It should be noted, however, that retardation of .cars isobtained due both to the frictional engagement of the braking bar withthe inner faces of the car wheels, and to the consequent equal pressureof the wheel flanges against the ball of the rail.'

It will be readily understood that with the retarder constructed asshown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7, wear of the braking surface of the brakingbar may be compensated for by replacing the washer 36 with a thinnerone.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 9, in the modied form of retarder hereshown, the braking bars A1 and A2 are slidabl'y supported for movementtoward and away from the rail I by means of a pair of eyebolts 40 whichextend with clearance through holes 8 provided in the web of the rail I,and through holes 9 provided in the depending legs of the brake beams ofthe braking bars. The threaded ends of the eyebolts 4I) are secured tothe brake beam 5 of the braking bar A1 by means of nuts 40a, while theeyes of the eyebolts are mounted on the opposite ends of a pin 4I whichextends horizontally through the rear portion of the cylinder 42 of auid pressure motor M. The cylinder 42 is slidably supported adadjacentits rear end for movement toward and awayfrom the rail I within a recess43 which is formed in a tie-plate 21 secured to the crosstie 3, and hasreciprocably mounted therein a piston 44 which drives a piston rod 45.The piston rod 45 extends through a cylinder head 46,`and is secured atits free end to the brake beam 5 of the braking bar A2 by means of nuts452. The piston 44 is constantly biased to a retracted position withinthe cylinder 42 by means of a compressed coil spring 4'I which surroundsthe piston rod between the piston 44 and the cylinder head 46, and thepiston is arranged to be at times moved to a projected position, inopposition to the bias of the spring 4'I, by admitting uid pressure tothe cylinder 42 through an inlet pipe 48. It will be apparent thatmovement of the piston 44 Within the cylinder 42 will act through thepiston rod 45 and the eyebolts 40 to inove the braking bars toward oraway from each other according as the piston is moved toward itsprojected position or its retracted position, and the parts are soproportioned that when the piston is moved to its projected position,the braking bars will be moved toward 'each other to such positions thatthe vspacing lbel'zween the brake shoes will be less than the width ofcar wheels traversing rail I, whereas, when the piston is moved to itsretracted position, the braking bars will be moved away from each otherto such positions that the distance between the brake shoes will begreater than the width of car wheels traversing rail I. Surrounding thespring bolts 4|] between the rail I and the brake beam 5 of the brakingbar A2 are coil springs 49 which constantly bias the braking bar A2toward the right to a position in which depending stop lugs 50 which areprovided on the brake beam engage stop screws 5| mounted in a bracket 52secured to the crosstie 2 adjacent the outer side of the brake beam 5 ofthe braking bar A2. The stop screws 5I each carry lock nuts 53, wherebythe stop screws may be locked in adjusted positions. The stop screws areso adjusted that when the braking bar A2 is engaging the stop screws 5I,the brake'shoe 4 of this braking bar will be out of the path of carwheels traversing rail I, and that, when the braking bar A2 is engagingthe stop screws 5I and the piston 44 of motor M occupies its retractedposition, the brake shoe 4 of the braking bar A1 will occupy a positionin which it is out of the path of car wheels traversing rail I. Therecess 43 in which the cylinder 42 of motor M slides is of such length,and the parts are so proportioned that when the piston 44 occupies itsprojected position, and the cylinder 42 is engaging the rear wall 43a ofthe recess 43, the braking bars A1 and A2 will then be held in theproper positions relative to the rail I to permit a smooth entry of thewheels of cars between the braking bars. A bracket 23 is secured to eachof the braking bars A1 and A2 in the same manner as in Fig. 1, and thesebrackets cooperate with tieplates 21 and with the underside of the railI to prevent rotation of the braking bars due to the couple of forceswhich are exerted on the braking bars when they are engaging the wheelsof a car, in the same manner as in Fig. 1.

The operation, as a whole, of the retarder shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is asfollows: When fluid is exhausted from the cylinder 42 of motor M, piston44 is held in its retracted position by the spring 41, and the brakingbars and motor assembly as a whole are moved toward the right by meansof the springs 49 to the positions in which the stop lugs 50 engage thestop screws 5I. Under these conditions, due to the previously describedproportioning of the parts, the brake shoes of the braking bars areseparated a distance which is greater than the width of the car wheels,and are so positioned with respect to the rail I that both braking barswill be out of the path of car wheels traversing rail I. therefore, thatwhen uid is exhausted from motor M, the car retarder will not exert anybraking force on cars passing through it. When, however, fluid issupplied to motor M, the braking bars A1 and A2 will then be movedtoward each other by the relative movement of the piston 44 and cylinder42 to the positions in which the spacing between the brake shoes 4 isless than the width of car wheels, and will be positioned relative tothe rail I by engagement of the motor cylinder with the stopl formed bythe rear wall 43a of the recess 43 in the tie-plate 21 in which themotor cylinder slides, and under these conditions, if a car enters theretarder the wheels of the car will force the braking bars apart, whichmovment of the braking bars will compress the fluid in the motorcylinder, and will thus cause the braking bars to be held intofrictional engage` It will be apparent,A

ment with the car wheels by a biasing force which depends upon thepressure of the fluid in the motor. It follows, therefore, that whenfluid is admitted to motor M, the retarder will act to retard the speedof cars passing through the retarder. When the braking bars of theretarder have been moved to their closed positions by admitting fluid tomotor M, and it is desired to move them to their open positions, thefluid which was previously supplied to motor M is exhausted toatmosphere, whereupon the springs 41 and 49 will immediately act torestore the braking bars to their open or non-braking positions.

It should be noted that with the retarder constructed in the mannershown in Figs. 8 and 9, adjustment to compensate for wear of the brakeshoe 4 of the braking bar A2 may be made by turning the nuts 452 whichfasten the piston rod 45 to the brake beam 5 of this braking bar, whileadjustment to compensate for wear of the brake shoe 4 of the braking barA1 may be made by turning the nuts 4I]a which fasten the eyebolts 40 tothe brake beam 5 of this latter braking bar.

Referring now to Fig. 10, the car retarder in the form here showncomprises two braking bars A3 and A4, each consisting of a brake shoe 4and a brake beam 55. These braking bars extend parallel to track rail Ion opposite sides of the rail, and are secured to the upper ends of twosimilar levers 561 and 562 which are slidably supported adjacent theirlower ends on the opposite base anges of the rail I by means of recesses51 which loosely receive the base flanges. Formed in the levers 561 and562 between the braking bars and the recesses 51 are openings 58 whichalign with an opening 8 in the web of the rail I, andV extending throughthe openings 53 and 8 with some clearance is a spring bolt 59, one endof which is provided with a head 60 and the other end of which isprovided with a washer 6I and a gauge adjusting nut 62. As will appearmore fully hereinafter, the head 60 of the bolt 59 at times serves as afulcrum for the lever 551, and to facilitate rotation of this leverabout the bolt head, the inner face of the bolt head is rounded in themanner shown. In a similar manner, the washer 6I at times serves as afulcrum for the lever 562, and to facilitate rotation of this leverabout the washer, the inner face of the washer is rounded in the mannershown. The lever 581 is constantly biased into engagement with the bolthead 65 by means of a compressed coil spring 63 which surrounds thespring bolt 59 between the lever and a shoulder 64 which is provided onthe spring bolt, and the lever 552 is similarly constantly biased intoengagement with the washer 6I by means of a compressed coil spring 65which surrounds the bolt between the lever and the web of the rail I.The lower end of lever 561 is provided with a depending bifurcated lug66 which is pivotally connected at point 61 with the cylinder 68 of afluid pressure motor M1, and the lower end of lever 522 is provided witha depending bifurcated lug 69 which is pivotally connected at point 15with one end of a piston rod 1I, the other end of which projects intocylinder 68 through a cylinder head 'I2 and is attached to areciprocable piston 13. The cylinder 68V is provided with an inlet pipe14 through which compressed air may at times be admitted to theleft-hand end of the cylinder, thereby forcing the piston 13 toward theright and the cylinder 68 toward the left, and so spreading the lowerends of the levers apart. The lower ends of the levers are biased towardeach other by means of a spring 15 which -surrounds the piston rod 1|between the piston 13 and the cylinder head 12. The positions to whichthe levers 561 and. 562 are free to swing due to the bias of the spring15 is limited by adjustable stop screws 16 and 11, respectively, mountedin brackets 18 and 19 secured to the rail l, and the positions to' whichthe levers are free to move when air is supplied to the motor M islimited by adjustable stop screws 60 and 8i, respectively, mounted inthe brackets 18 and 19. The stop screws 16 and 11 are so adjusted thatwhen the levers are engaging these stop screws both braking bars willoccupy positions in which they are clear of the path of car wheelstraversing rail i, and the stop screws 80 and 8l are sc adjusted thatwhen the levers are engaging these stop screws the brake shoes of bothbraking bars will project into the path of car wheels traversing rail l.The parts are so proportioned that the levers will not under anyconditions pivot about the base anges of the rail.

With the retarder constructed in the manner just described, it will beobvious that if a car passes through the retarder when no fluid is beingsupplied to the motor M1, the braking bars will be held out ofengagement with the car wheels by the spring 15, and the car retarderwill not, therefore, ,exert any force on the car. When, however, fluidis supplied to motor M1, the braking bars will then be biased by theiluid to such positions that the brake shoes will frictionally engagethe opposite side faces of each car wheel traversing rail Land theretarder will therefore act to retard the speed of cars. It should benoted that when the braking bars are engaging a carvwheel they are freeto move toward and away from the rail so as to compensate for variationsin the thickness of car wheels, and in the spacing of the wheels ondifferent axles, thereby providing a smooth and efficient brakingaction.

The gauge adjustment of the retarder shown in Fig. 10 may be'varied byadjusting nut 62, while ythe positions of the braking bars in both theiropen and closed positions may be varied by adjusting the stop screws 16,11,. 8U, and 8|, whereby variations in retardation caused by shoe wearand the like can bequickly and conveniently compensated for.

Although I have herein, shown and described only a few forms of railwaybrakingY apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that variouschanges and modifications may be made therein within the scopeA of theappended claims without departing from' the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having thusV described my invention, what I claim is:

l. Railway braking apparatus comprising a .braking bar extendingparallel to a track rail on one side of the rail, a bolt extendingthrough the rail web and through the braking bar, means mounted on saidbolt for constantly biasing the braking bar toward the track rail to aposition in which the braking bar will .frictionally engage car wheelstraversing the rail, and a bracket secured intermediate its ends to thebraking bar and slidably supported at one end and slidably cooperatingwith the underside ofthe rail at the other end, whereby rotation of thebraking bar in response to the couple of forces which is exerted on itwhen it is engaging a car wheel is'prevented by said bracket.

2, Railway braking apparatus comprising two braking bars slidablysupported on opposite sides of a track rail for movement toward and awayfrom the rail by means of a bolt, means on said bolt for biasing thebraking bars toward the track rail to positions in which they willfrictionally engage the opposite side faces of each car wheel traversingsaid rail, and a bracket secured to each braking bar for preventing thebraking bars from tipping due to the couple of forces which are exertedon them when they are engaging car wheels, each said bracket beingslidably supported at one end and being provided at the other end with'means which slidably engages the underside of the track rail.

3. Railway brakingV apparatus comprising a first and a second brakingbar each comprising a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and eachextending parallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a boltextending through clearance holes in both brake beams and a clearancehole in the rail Webfin such manner that. the braking bars are slidablysupported'for movement toward and away from the lrail by means of saidbolt, means for adjustably securing said bolt to theone brake beam,biasing means operatively connectedV with said bolt and with the otherbrake beam and effective for biasing the braking bars toward the trackrail to positions in which the brake shoes will frictionally engage theopposite side faces of car wheels traversing said rail, and means `forlimiting the movement of Ysaid braking bars toward the track rail.

4. Railwayv braking apparatus comprising a first anda second braking bareach comprising-a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extendingparallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extendingthroughclearance holes in both brake beams anda clearance hole in therail web in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported formovement toward and away from the raillby means of said bolt, means foradjustably securing said bolt to the one brake beam, means mounted onsaid bolt for biasing the braking bars toward the track rail topositions in which the brake shoes will frictionally engage the oppositeside faces of car wheels traversing said rail, and means for limitingthe movement of said braking bars toward the track rail.

5. Railway braking apparatus comprising; a rst and a second braking bareach comprising a brake shoe secured to abrake beam and each extendingparallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extendingthrough clearance holes in both brake beams and a clearance hole in therail web in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported formovement toward and away from the rail by means of said bolt, means foradjustably securing said bolt tothe one brake 'beam, andV biasing meansacting through'the medium of said bolt for biasing the braking barstoward the'track rail to positions in which the brake shoes willfrictionally engage the opposite side faces of car wheels traversingsaid rail. f

6. Railway braking apparatus comprising a rst and a second braking bareach comprising a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extendingparallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extendingthrough vclearance holes in both brake beams and a clearance hole in therail web in such manner that the braking vbars are slidably supportedfor movement toward and away from the rail by means of said bolt, a

shoulder formed on said bolt between the one brake beam and said trackrail, means for adjustably securing the one brake beam to said bolt soadjusted that when said shoulder is engaging the track rail the brakeshoe secured to said one brake beam will project into the path of eachcar wheel traversing rail l, a second bolt adjustably mounted in theother brake beam and cooperating with the rail head to limit themovement of the other braking bar toward the track rail, said secondbolt being so adjusted that when said second bolt is engaging the trackrail the brake shoe attached to said other beam will project into thepath of each car wheel traversing rail l, and means for biasing saidbrake beams to the position in which said shoulder and said bolt areengaging said rail.

7. Railway braking apparatus comprising a rst and a second braking bareach comprising a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extendingparallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extendingthrough clearance holes in both brake beams and a clearance hole in therail web in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported formovement toward and away from the rail by means of said bolta shoulderformed on said bolt between the one brake beam and said track rail,means for adjustably securing the one brake beam to said bolt soadjusted that-when said shoulder is engaging the track rail the brakeshoe secured to said one brake beam will project into the path of eachcar wheel traversing rail I, a second bolt adjustably mounted in theother brake beam and cooperating with the rail head to limit themovement of the other braking bar toward the track rail, said secondbolt being so adjusted that when said second bolt is engaging the trackrail the brake shoe attached to said other beam will project into thepath of each car wheel traversing rail l, and means mounted on saidfirst mentioned bolt for biasing said brake beams to the position inwhich said shoulder and said boltare engaging said rail.

8. Railway braking apparatus comprising a first and a second braking bareach comprising a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extendingparallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extendingthrough clearance holes in both brake beams and a clearance Yhole in therail web in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported formovement toward and away from the rail by means of said bolt, means foradjustably securing said bolt to the one brake beam, biasing meansconnected with said bolt and with the other brake beam and effective forbiasing the braking bars toward the track rail to positions in which thebrake shoes will rictionally engage the opposite side faces of carwheels traversing said rail,

means for limiting the movement of said braking bars toward the trackrail, and a separate bracket secured to each braking bar for preventingthe braking bars from tipping duel to the couple of forces which areexerted on them when they are engaging car wheels, each said bracketbeing slidably supported at one end and being provided at the other endwith means which slidably engage the underside of the track rail.

9. Railway braking apparatus comprising a first and a second braking bareach comprising a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extendingparallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extendingthrough clearance holes in both brake beams and a clearance hole in therail web in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported formovement toward and away from the rail by means of said bolt, means foradjustably securing said bolt to the one brake beam, means mounted onsaid bolt for biasing the braking bars toward the track rail topositions in which the brake shoes will frictionally engage the oppositeside faces of car wheels traversing said rail, means for limiting themovement of said braking bars toward the track rail, and a bracketsecured to each braking bar for preventing the braking bars from tippingdue to the couple of forces which are exerted on them when they areengaging car wheels, each said bracket being slidably supported at oneend and being provided at the other end with means which slidably engagethe underside of the track rail.

10. Railway braking apparatus comprising a rst and a second braking bareach comprising a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extendingparallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extendingthrough clearance holes in both brake beams and a clearance hole in therail web in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported formovement toward and away from the rail by means of said bolt, means foradjustably securing said bolt to the one brake beam, biasing meansacting through the medium of said bolt for biasing the braking barstoward the track rail to positions in which the brake shoes willfrictiorially engage the opposite side faces of car wheels traversingsaid rail, and a bracket secured to each braking bar for preventing thebraking bars from tipping due to the couple of forces which are exertedon them when they are engaging car wheels, each 11. Railway brakingapparatus comprising a first and a second braking bar each comprising abrake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extending parallel to atrack rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extending throughclearance holes in both brake beams and a clearance hole in the rail webin such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported for movementtoward and away from the rail by means of said bolt, a shoulder formedon said bolt between the one brake beam and said track rail, means foradjustably securing the one brake beam to said bolt so adjusted thatwhen said shoulder is engaging the track rail the brake shoe secured tosaid one brake beam will project into the path of each car wheeltraversing rail i, a second bolt adjustably mounted in the other brakebeam and cooperating with the rail head to limit the movement of theother braking bar toward the track rail, said second bolt being soadjusted that when said second bolt is engaging the track rail the brakeshoe attached to said other beam will project into the path of each carwheel traversing rail I, means for biasing said brake beams to theposition in which said shoulder and said second bolt are engaging saidrail, and a bracket secured to each braking bar for preventing thebraking bars from tipping due to the couple of forces which are exertedon them when they are engaging car wheels, each said bracket beingslidably supported at one end and being provided at the other end withmeans which slidably engage the underside of the track rail.

12. Railway braking apparatus comprising a rst and a second braking bareach comprising Cil lic

a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and each extending parallel to atrack rail on opposite sides of the rail, a bolt extending throughclearance holes in both brake beams and ay clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the rbraking bars are slidably supported formovement toward and away from. the rail by means of said bolt, ashoulder formed on said bolt between the one brake beam and said trackrail, means for adjustably securing the one brake beam to said bolt soadjusted that when said shoulder is engaging the track rail the brakeshoe secured to said one brake beam will project into the path .of eachcar wheel traversing rail I, a second bolt adjustably mounted in theother brake beam and cooperating with the rail head to limit themovement of the other braking bar toward the track rail, said secondbolt being so adjusted that when said second bolt is engaging the trackrail the brake shoe attached to said other beam will project into thepath of each car wheel traversing rail l, means mounted on said firstmentioned bolt for biasing said brake beams to theposition in which saidshoulder and said second bolt are engaging said rail, land a bracketsecured to each braking bar for preventing the braking bars from tippingdue to thek couple of forces which are exerted on them when they areengaging car Wheels, each said bracket being slidably supported at oneend and being provided at the other end with means which slidably engagethe underside of the track rail. n

13. Railway braking apparatus comprising a first and a second brakingbar each comprising a brake shoe secured to a brake beam and eachextending parallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, a boltextending through clearance holes in both brake beams and a clearancehole in the rail web in such manner that the braking bars are slidablysupported for movement toward and away from the rail by means of saidbolt, a shoulder formed on said bolt between the one brake beam and saidtrack rail, means for adjustably securing the one brake beam to saidbolt so adjusted that when said shoulder is engaging s the track railthe brake shoe secured to said one brake beam will project into the pathof each car wheel traversing said rail, a second bolt adjustably mountedin the other brake beam and cooperating with the rail head to limit themovement of the other braking bar toward the track rail, said secondbolt being so adjusted that when said second bolt is engaging the trackrail the brake shoe attached to said other beam will project into thepath of each car wheel traversing Y said rail, a nut adjustably screwedonto the outer end of said first mentioned bolt adjacent saidV otherbraking bar, and a compressed coil `spring mounted on said rst mentionedbolt between said nut and said otherbrake beam.

14. Railway braking apparatus comprising a first and a secondfbrakingbar extending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported by thebolt for movement toward and away from the rail, means for adjustablysecuring said rst braking bar to said bolt, means connected with thebolt and with the other braking bar for biasing the Y braking barstoward each other to positions in which they will frictionally engagethe opposite side faces of each car wheel traversing said track rail,means for limiting the movement of the braking bars toward each other,and means for positioning the braking bars relative to said track railwhen no car wheel is being engaged by the braking bars.

15. Railway braking apparatus comprising a rst and a second braking barextending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported by thebolt for movement toward and away from the rail, means for adjustablysecuring said first braking bar to said bolt, biasing means mounted onsaid bolt for biasing the braking bars toward each other to positions inwhich they will frctionally engage the opposite side faces of each carwheel traversing said track rail, means for limiting the movement of thebraking bars toward each other, and means for positioning the brakingbars relative to said track rail when no car wheel is being engaged bythe braking bars.

16. Railway braking apparatus comprising a first and a second brakingbar extending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported by thebolt for movement toward and away from the rail,I means for adjustablysecuring said rst braking bar to said bolt, means connected with thebolt and with the other braking bar for bias- -ing the braking barstoward each other to positions in which' they will frictionally engagethe opposite side faces of each car wheel traversing ,said track rail,means for limiting the movement of the braking bars toward each other,means for positioning the braking barsrelative to said track rail whenno car wheel is being engaged by the braking bars,'and a bracket securedto each braking bar for preventing the braking bars from tipping due tothe couple of forces which are exerted onV them when they are engagingcar wheels, each said bracket being slidably supported at one end andbeing provided at the other end with means which slidably engage Ytheunderside of the track rail.

' 17. Railway braking apparatus comprising a iirst and as'econd brakingbar extending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the brakingbars are slidably supported by thebolt for movement `toward and away from the rail, means for adjustablysecuring said first braking bar to said bolt, biasing means mounted onsaid bolt for biasing the braking bars toward each other to positions inwhich they will frictionally engage the opposite side faces of each carYwheel traversing said track rail, means for .limiting 'the movement ofthe braking bars toward reach other,'mean`s for positioning the brakingbars relative to the track rail when no car wheel is being engaged bythe braking bars, and a bracket secured to each braking bar forpreventing the braking bars from tipping due to the couple of forceswhich are exerted on them when they are engaging car wheels, each saidbracket being slidably supported at one end andibeing provided at theother end with vmeans which slidably engage the underside of the trackrail.

18. Railway braking apparatus comprising a first and a second brakingbar extending parallel Vto a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb insuch manner that the braking bars are slidablysupported by thebolt for movement toward and away from the rail, means for adjustablysecuring said iirst braking bar to said bolt, a shoulder formed on saidbolt between said rail and said second braking bar, a compressed coilspring mounted on said bolt and effective for biasing said two brakingbars to the relative positions in which said shoulder engages saidsecond braking bar, said adjustable securing means being so adjustedthat when said shoulder is engaging said second braking bar said twobraking bars will be closer together than the width of car wheelstraversing said rail, and other adjustable means for positioning thebraking bars relative to the track rail.

19. Railway braking apparatus comprising a iirst and a second brakingbar extending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported by thebolt for movement toward and away from the rail, means for adjustablysecuring said iirst braking bar to said bolt, a shoulder formed on saidbolt between said rail and said second braking bar, a compressed coilspring mounted on said bolt and eiective for biasing said two brakingbars to the relative positions in which said shoulder engages saidsecond braking bar, said adjustable securing means being so adjustedthat when said shoulder is engaging said second braking bar said twobraking bars will be closertogether than the width of car wheelstraversing said rail, and adjustable means for positioning the brakingbars relative to the track rail in such manner that when no car wheel isengaging the braking bars said rst braking bar will project into thepath of car wheels traversing the track rail and said second braking barwill be disposed outside of the path of car wheels traversing the trackrail.

20. Railway braking apparatus comprising a rst and a second braking barextending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railwebin such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported by thebolt for movement toward and away from said track rail, means foradjustably securing said first braking bar to said bolt, a shoulderformed on said bolt between said track rail and said second braking bar,a rst compressed coil spring mounted on said bolt and eiective forbiasing said two braking bars to the relative positions in which saidshoulder engages said second braking bar, said adjustable means being soadjusted that when said shoulder is engaging said second braking barsaid two braking bars will be closer together than the width of carwheels traversing said track rail, a second compressed coil springsurrounding said bolt between said track rail and said shoulder andeffective for biasing the braking bars and bolt assembly as a unit tothe relative positions in which said first braking bar will project intothe path of car wheels traversing said track rail and said secondbraking bar will be disposed outside of the path of car wheelstraversing said track rail, and an adjustable stop screw for limitingthe movement of the braking bar and bolt assembly due to the bias ofsaid second spring.

21. Railway braking apparatus comprising a rst and a second braking barextending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported by thebolt aio/:1,185

for movement toward and away from the rail,` means for adjustablysecuring said first braking bar to said bolt, a shoulder formed on saidbolt between said rail and said second braking bar, a compressed coilspring mounted on said bolt and eiective for biasing said two brakingbars to the relative positions in which said shoulder engages saidsecond braking bar, said adjustable securing means being so adjustedthat when said shoulder is engaging said second b-raking bar said twobraking bars will be closer together than the width of car wheelstraversing said rail, adjustable means for positioning the braking barsrelative to said rail, and a bracket secured to each braking bar forpreventing the braking bars from tipping due to the couple of forceswhich are exerted on them when they are engaging car wheels, each saidbracket being slidably supported at one end and being provided at theother end with means which slidably engaging the underside of the trackrail.

22. Railway braking apparatus comprising a first and a second brakingbar extending parallel to a track rail, a spring bolt extending throughclearance holes in both braking bars and a clearance hole in the railweb in such manner that the braking bars are slidably supported by thebolt for movement toward and away from the rail, means for adjustablysecuring said first braking bar to said bolt, a shoulder formed .on saidbolt between said rail and said second braking bar, a compressed coilspring mounted on said bolt for biasing said two braking bars to therelative positions in which said shoulder engages said second brakingbar, said adjustable securing means being so adjusted that when saidshoulder is engaging said second braking bar said two braking bars willbe closer together than the Width of car wheels traversing said rail,adjustable means for positioning the braking bars relative to the trackrail in such manner that when no car wheel is engaging the braking barssaid rst braking bar will project into the path of car wheels traversingthe track rail and said second braking `bar will be disposed outside ofthe path of car wheels traversing the track rail, and a bracket securedto each braking bar for preventing the braking bars from tipping due tothe couple of forces which are exerted on them when they are engagingcar wheels, each said bracket being slidably supported at one end andbeing provided at the other end with means which slidably engage theunderside of the track rail.

23. Railway braking apparatus comprising a braking bar consisting of astandard rail section extending parallel to a track rail and slidablysupported for movement toward and away from the rail by means of a boltextending through the rail web and the web of the braking bar, springmeans on said bolt for biasing the braking bar toward the track rail toa position in which it will frictionally engage one side face of eachcar wheel traversing the track rail, and a bracket secured to saidbraking bar for preventing the braking bar from tipping due to thecouple which is exerted on it when it is engaging a car wheel, saidbracket being slidably supported at one end andV being provided at theother end with means which slidably engages the underside of the trackrail.

V24. Railway braking apparatus comprising a braking bar consisting of astandard rail section extending parallel to a track rail and slidablysupported for movement toward and away from the rail by means of a boltextending through the rail web and the web of the braking bar, springmeans on said bolt for` biasing the braking bar toward the rail to aposition in which it will frctionally engage one side face of each carwheel traversing the rail, means disposed on said bolt between the railand the braking bar for positioning the braking bar relative to the railwhen the braking bar is not engaging a car Wheel,

and a bracket secured to said braking bar for preventing the braking barfrom tipping due to the couple which is exerted on it when it isengaging a car Wheel, said bracket being slidably supported at one endand being provided at the other end with means which slidably engagesthe underside of the track rail.

HAROLD C. CLAUSEN.

